Retrospective study of uveal melanoma

Abstract

To report the results of a retrospective study carried out at the 1st Department of Ophthalmology of Semmelweis University, Budapest, among patients treated for ocular melanoma. Clinical data of the patients, histopathological characteristics of the tumours and follow-up results are reported. Retrospective review of patients' charts, histopathological data and statistical analysis of collected data. From 120 patients treated by enucleation or exenteration for uveal melanoma, 22 had died by the end of the study. The medium survival after operation was 34.0+/-25.4 months, the majority of deaths occurred within three years following surgery. Statistically significant relationship was demonstrated between extraocular extension of the tumour and death, and between epithelioid cell tumours and death. Most large tumours involved the ciliary body, the prognosis of these tumours tended to be worse than for those infiltrating only the choroid, but the difference was not statistically significant. Uveal melanoma almost exclusively gives haematogenous metastases, liver metastases being the most frequent; rarely lung metastases are also reported. Since extraocular extension and epithelioid tumours carry a very poor prognosis, the possibility of providing adjuvant chemo-immunotherapy for patients harbouring these tumours should be entertained, even if liver metastases are not demonstrated at the time of diagnosis.